Page 3 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

“This one is almost ready. I think he will be pleased with our progress here. Complete the exit training and make sure she’s prepared for transport. I’m giving you three days.”

“Yes, Widow.”

“Good,” she releases a huff. “I can’t wait to head back to the city. Being out in the middle of nowhere is starting to wear on me.”

The beta laughs too loud for a joke that isn’t even that funny, but I keep my thoughts and my expressions to myself, chin dipped to my chest, hands trembling as I clasp them before me.

When a rough hand grabs my arm, I jerk, a little yelp leaving my lips.

Oh shit.

I freeze. No sound. I shouldn’t make a sound. I wait for the whip, bracing for it, but it doesn’t come.

“Mind yourself, little pig.” Heels click. I feel the barest movement of air against my naked skin as the alpha steps closer. “You’re so close to leaving here.”

Unexpectedly, the sensation of her gloved finger against my jaw makes me flinch. She chuckles low in her throat. “There, that’s more like it.” But then her fingers tighten on my jaw once more, tugging my head in her direction. “Remember your training, bitch. I won’t let you keep me out in this wilderness for another three months. Be a good omega…and you won’t get hurt.”

Be a good omega…and I can leave this place.

I nod. Because that’s what good omegas do.

Chapter 2

Hailey

The next three days feel like seven. It might have been. Days move strangely here. The little window in my room barely lets in any light.

The cell they keep me in is bare—just a thin mattress on a metal frame and a toilet in the corner. No mirror. No clock. Nothing to mark the passing of time except the meals they slide through the slot in the door twice a day.

Sometimes I wake to find myself curled into a tight ball, arms wrapped around my middle as if I can physically hold myself together. The position makes my muscles ache, but it’s better than lying spread out, exposed to the everlasting chill that seeps through the metal walls.

Today feels different, though. There’s tension in the air, a shift in the routine that makes my senses tingle with warning. Just the omega in me. Constantly alert. Constantly anxious. Constantly fearful.

And what brings that fear home is the fact that she, the omega in me, is always right.

When the door squeaks open—not just the food slot—I know something has changed.

“Blindfold on.” The command comes through the crack in the door. I scramble for the dark material, wrapping it around my head and over my eyes.

I am never to tilt my head toward them without the blindfold on. I am never to meet their gazes.

“Up.” The beta guard’s voice is gruff, his tone laced with a barely concealed annoyance that makes my inside coil into a protective ball. He doesn’t wait for me to comply, his hand gripping my arm, yanking me to my feet. I wince under the pressure of his fingers.

I stumble, legs weak from disuse, or probably it’s got something to do with the poor nutrition. The room spins slightly, but I force myself to stay upright. Messing up now will only lead to more “training.”

“Time to pretty you up for transport.” I can hear the sneer in his voice, the cruel amusement that makes my skin crawl. He shoves a bundle of cloth into my arms. “Put these on. Gotta look good for your new master. You have two minutes.”

M-Master?

My lungs cease to work, and I must have tensed or shifted because the beta’s grip tightens painfully on my arm. We aren’t supposed to speak—that rule has been beaten into me countless times—but my reaction makes him continue.

“What? They didn’t tell you?” His voice carries a cruel amusement. “You’ve beensold. High price, too, for such a thick little thing. Your master was very specific about wanting something…” He pauses, and I can feel his eyes crawling over me. “…substantial to breed.”

The word ‘breed’ makes bile rise in my throat. I must have swayed slightly because his grip shifts, steadying me even as his tone remains harsh.

“Don’t you dare faint. Your master paid good money for you, and he expects his property delivered in perfect condition… Well, apart from the expectedtrainingmarks.” He grunts, chest bouncing,and I know he’s chuckling. “Can’t forget those.” He shoves a bundle of cloth into my arms. “Put these on. You have two minutes. And remember—” His voice drops lower, “—masters don’t like disobedient omegas. The last one who fought back? Well, let’s just say she learned her lesson. Hard.”

He releases me just as suddenly as he grabbed me, and I hear the door slam closed, but not before a wail from down the hall filters through the crack. The sound makes me flinch, reminding me of what happens to omegas who don’t comply.

---